This I Promise You ~ (A Legolas Love Story) *Completed*

Chapter Sixteen

~Chapter Sixteen~

The Ties of Loyalty and Destiny

Along the great Anduin river, the Gondorian Men in Osgiliath unceasingly battled the Orcs of Sauron's army. The clash of swords rang in the young, light brown haired soldier's ears as he sunk his sword into the enemy as the orcs began to swarm the men. Bodies of men littered the stone ground of the ancient city as the Orc streamed in by the hundreds. The Men were losing the battle against the enemy. One by one many men, exhausted from the night long battle, were easily slain dead. Men toppled over other men, trying to flee their immediate deaths as orcs tackled them down with a sword into their chest cavity. The young soldier makes his way over the dead, retreating to an alcove.

"Faramir!" Madril, a grey haired older man yells to the soldier. 

Faramir spots the men with readied bows and twirls away just as archers shoot down a pack of orcs pursuing the young soldier. Their arrows whistling through the air precisely past the young soldier.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

The arrows plunged into the chests of the orcs effectively. Madril approached Faramir with a grave glint in his blue eyes, "We can't hold them! The city is lost." 

Faramir stared stupefied of the events, "Tell the men to break cover. We ride to Minas Tirith." The soldier commanded with a shaky breath.

Ominous sounds as if the wing was rising, huge wings beating like a thunder echoing off the damaged walls, "Nazgul!" a ranger hollered over the noises of the clattering armor, the strange battle cries of the enemy, and the clashing of the swords. Faramir squinted up to the sky, after hearing the warning. A huge shadow passes overhead over the frightened Ithilen rangers. Screeching Nazgul fly overhead astride on winged Wyrm-creature, a hellish combination of a body of a dragon and the neck than head of a serpent. The black talons snatched the Gondorian soldiers standing on the high towers of Osgiliath, than flinging the men to the ground.

 The young soldier yelled out to his men, "Take cover!" 

A terrible shriek resounds in the air as Faramir sprints away from the Nazgul, "Pull back! Pull back to Minas Tirith!" Soldiers begin to evacuate through the ruins of the city as high in the skies above, the Nazgul continued to sweep down after helpless Men. "Retreat! Retreat!" The young man hollered to his men.  Far behind Faramir, Madril was struck down in the gut by an bloody axe. The older man collapsed to the hard stone ground, his breathing shallow. 

The Gondorian men and horses start to bolt from the city as the screeching Nazgul fly from above. Faramir and a few survivors of two hundred flee from the overrun Osgiliath, desperately rising towards Minas Tirith. In the sky above dark shapes pursue the retreating Gondorian men. Swooping down the Nazguls, strikes descending down upon the retreating soldiers tossing horses and men through the air like rag-dolls. Men clambering to keep to their feet as soldiers prodded their horses to hasten their speed. The cries of men, whinnies of horses, thundering of the hooves, and the thunderous beating of the black wings of the Nazgul's beasts reached the sharp ears of Gwiliweth as her silver eyes stared in horror. The she-elf stood at the lowest battlement alongside with guards watching the terrible sight of survival, helplessly. 

Across the dark plain, a figure clothed in white mounted on a white stallion rides towards the survivors. A soldier cries from beside the she-elf, "It's the White Rider!" Gwiliweth gripped the stone barrier in distress as worry rose to the surface of the she-elf.

Gandalf spurs on Shadowfax forward, as Pippin clings tightly to the great horse's mane. Faramir with a sword at hand  in the rear fleeing soldiers, trying desperately to fight off the deadly assault of the Nazgul. Diving low the Fell-Beasts dive low battering into the ranks of the fleeing men. Gandalf the White thunders towards the Nazgul, raising his staff. A mighty beam of white light suddenly thrusts upwards piercing a low cloud. For a brief moment, sunlight streams through the hole onto the Pelennor Fields below. The Nazgul suddenly shriek in agony before circling  away from the sun rays swiftly spiralling higher and higher.